discipline

[ dis-uh-plin ]

noun

1. training to act in accordance with rules; drill:

   military discipline.

2. an activity, exercise, or regimen that develops or improves a skill; training:

   Sticking to specific and regular mealtimes is excellent discipline for many dieters.

3. a branch of instruction or learning:

   the disciplines of history and economics.

4. punishment inflicted by way of correction and training.

   Synonyms: castigation, chastisement

5. the rigor or training effect of experience, adversity, etc.:

   the harsh discipline of poverty.

6. behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and order maintained by training and control:

   good discipline in an army.

7. a set or system of rules and regulations.
8. Ecclesiastical. the system of government regulating the practice of a church as distinguished from its doctrine.
9. an instrument of punishment, especially a whip or scourge, used in the practice of self-mortification or as an instrument of chastisement in certain religious communities.

verb (used with object)

, dis·ci·plined, dis·ci·plin·ing.

1. to train by instruction and exercise; drill.
2. to bring to a state of order and obedience by training and control.
3. to punish or penalize in order to train and control; correct; chastise.

discipline

/ ˈdɪsɪˌplɪnəl; ˈdɪsɪplɪn; ˌdɪsɪˈplaɪnəl /

noun

1. training or conditions imposed for the improvement of physical powers, self-control, etc
2. systematic training in obedience to regulations and authority
3. the state of improved behaviour, etc, resulting from such training or conditions
4. punishment or chastisement
5. a system of rules for behaviour, methods of practice, etc
6. a branch of learning or instruction
7. the laws governing members of a Church
8. a scourge of knotted cords

verb

1. to improve or attempt to improve the behaviour, orderliness, etc, of by training, conditions, or rules
2. to punish or correct

Derived Forms

• disciplinal, adjective
• ˈdisciˌpliner, noun
• ˈdisciˌplinable, adjective

Other Words From

• dis·ci·pli·nal [dis, -, uh, -pl, uh, -nl, -plin-l, dis-, uh, -, plahyn, -l], adjective
• dis·ci·plin·er noun
• mul·ti·dis·ci·pline noun
• non·dis·ci·plin·ing adjective
• o·ver·dis·ci·pline verb overdisciplined overdisciplining
• pre·dis·ci·pline noun verb (used with object) predisciplined predisciplining
• re·dis·ci·pline verb (used with object) redisciplined redisciplining
• sub·dis·ci·pline noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of discipline¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin disciplīna “instruction, tuition,” equivalent to discipul(us) “pupil, learner, trainee” + -ina noun suffix; disciple; -ine ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of discipline¹

C13: from Latin disciplīna teaching, from discipulus disciple

Synonym Study

See punish.

Example Sentences

And refusing work often results in discipline, they have said, such as loss of various privileges.

From Los Angeles Times

Williams adds that weed science as a discipline needs to invest in new tools.

From Science Daily

They developed a survey of multiple-choice questions, free-form text fields and rating scales and sent it to leading graduate school programs in animal behavior research across disciplines.

From Science Daily

And when glass ceilings for women in music were hit, you could understand her thirst to make every idea and new discipline count, and the penchant for excess that went with it.

From Los Angeles Times

This time there appears to have been no cloaking of the beatings as "spiritual discipline" as had been the case in the UK.

From BBC

Related Words

• control
• development
• education
• method
• practice
• preparation
• regulation
• restraint
• self-control
• self-restraint
• will